Over the weekend, rumors started to circulate around the upcoming NFL Draft. Keep in mind that the word we just used was RUMORS. We are about 5 weeks from the NFL Draft, so of course, rumors are beginning to fly. Some will be smokescreens and some will be legitimate. We’ll share the sensible rumors we hear, because it’s part of the fun of the NFL offseason…and sometime, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Despite the NFL Lockout, the Draft will still proceed as scheduled on April 28-30th.
Picture by: Marianne-OLeary
Over the weekend we learned a few things. First, Blaine Gabbert (QB Missouri), scheduled a private workout with the Miami Dolphins. This is on the heels of the Dolphins having reportedly scheduled a private working with Cam Newton (QB Auburn). It is widely expected that these two quarterbacks will be gone by the time the Dolphins are on the clock at pick #15……
That brings us to our second point of this post…Yesterday, we saw that Incarcerated Bob of rotoinfo.com tweeted that the Dolphins and Patriots are both interested in trading up into the top 8 picks of the draft. Let’s forget about the Patriots for now, they’re probably targeting AJ Green/Julio Jones OR a pass rushing OLB. We followed up with Bob to see who might be in the Dolphins sights in the top 8…and he mentioned Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert. Bob is the same guy that tweeted earlier this month that the Dolphins are very interested in Cam Newton and would be willing to trade up to get him. All interesting notes that would lead a logical person to believe that the Dolphins think one or either of these young QBs can be the future franchise QB that Chad Henne apparently is not.
Keep in mind that a trade up to get a player would likely not happen until draft day. The Dolphins are probably targeting picks 7-10 to see if either player falls into that area of the draft. If they are both taken by then (say Carolina takes Gabbert and Buffalo takes Newton), the Dolphins will likely look to stay where they are at #15 or trade down. We received some clarification this weekend from Greg Aiello on Twitter, that future draft picks (2012) CAN be traded for 2011 selections. To move up that far, and without a 2nd round pick in 2011, the Dolphins would likely have to give up their #15 pick this year and next year’s first round pick. Remember though, with no CBA, there cannot be any players involved in trades.
Our Take: While the thought of Gabbert is exciting, the sacrifice of potentially 2 first round picks would certainly be steep. Without knowing all of the details of interviews, workouts, etc., we would rather trade down, regain a 2nd rounder, and draft Ryan Mallett later in the 1st round. However, Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano want to win as much as the fans do in 2011…as their jobs are on the line. So, if they think that Gabbert/Newton could help the team more than Chad Henne, then this is the type of move that they should certainly entertain.
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